Support is requested for a conference grant known as the Annual Symposium on the Biology of Skin, beginning with the 38th year. The partial support provided for this conference grant encourages the following specific aims which are unchanged from prior years. These conferences will: A) thoroughly cover one aspect of skin biology annually. B) allow the exchange and acquisition of new knowledge on a formal basis and provide a proving ground for new concepts. C) broaden and shape our understanding and perspective of biological properties of the skin of man under normal and pathologic conditions. D) encourage young investigators to consider the pursuit of careers in academic and investigational dermatology. This occurs by interacting with established scientists, identifying unsolved problems and establishing long-term goals in skin biology. The conference will be held annually in the Fall. Usually, the conference site is a 150 room lodge on the Central Oregon Coast at Gleneden Beach. Approximately 150 guests attend the symposium in addition to the 23-26 invited speakers. The topic to be presented at this the 37th Annual Symposium is "Pigment Cell Biology and Oncology". My current chairmen are Walter Quevedo (Boston), Hans Rorsman (Lund), and Yutaka Mishima (Kobe). The topic for October 1988 will address "Vascular Elements of the Skin", studies to be reported will include the vascular and lymphatic channels of the skin and recent studies on interaction of cultured endothelial cells and a consideration of their properties. Future topics planned for the symposium will be selected from the following general subjects: "Aging", "Wound Healing", "Second Messenger Systems in the Skin", and "Experimental Pathology of Cutaneous Diseases".